Rear View Mirror and other Sundry Items

[zonker]

Not a tube or a toon but definitely a boat rigged with a mirror...



z~
[signature]

[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]You are spending too much time on the kayak boards. Do you have some secret fantasy to become a yakker? [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]That is a pretty cool "utility" rack.[/#0000ff]
[signature]

[zonker]

That's a good question. I did get curious about all the hoopla regarding kayaks. Seems some of the yakkers are about as crazy as tubers I know (present company included.) After reading some more about it though, I'm not sure if I'm ready to take on another tippy boat after spending a couple of years flyfishing from a canoe. Yeah, I know, probably not a fair comparison. But those things do look kinda narrow and shallow for the kind of wind and waves I sometimes get into. Besides, if I brought home another boat, Mrs. zonker would probably go see a lawyer and I wouldn't blame her. Only thing I could do is reshuffle the floating objects I already have.

Besides I'm much too old and inflexible to start crawling into things that bend me in the middle. I just thought that r.v. mirror might generate some discussion. [cool]Actually, I'm thinking of putting a truck air horn on my tube. That would get the attention of those crazy PWC kamakazi runners.

z~
[signature]

[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]No, no, no Uncle Z. You got it all wrong. You don't wanna call attention to yourself. You need to stay in stealth mode. I learned a long time ago that having a craft with lots of bright orange only made me an easier target. Adding noise might not be good.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I know whatcha mean about the youth and agility (lack thereof) thing. I doubt I could get in and out of a yak, much less fish in one without needing a snorkle. Heck, I'm working on a large PVC shoe horn to help me get into my tube.[/#0000ff]
[signature]

[zonker]

Well maybe I'll just use the space that would have held the air horn to mount a 50 cal. Not for actual combat use, of course. More of a deterent, like mutually assured destruction, just touching off a round or two in the general direction as sort of a reminder that even though I might look like it, I'm not actually a slalom cone. With that I don't think the paint job on the vessel would make any difference.

Regarding the canoe, I spent a day in mine a couple of years back and it took me two more days to recover and stand upright again. I thought I was going to end up permanently "creased." Those are definitely made for younger folks. Never gave it a thought 15 years ago. Now I have to carefully pick my battles and not heap undue physical challenges on my well-seasoned bod.

When you get that PVC shoe horn done, be sure to post a pic.

Man, I need to go fishing! I'm babbling.

z~
[signature]

[smallmouth89]

Hey Guys,

I'm a canoe/kayaker who discovered the "Fat Cat" 5 or 6 years ago. Up until then most of my fishing was flyrodding or ultra-lite spinning from my kayak. The kayak is so much faster and less prone to being blown around that my canoes (Yes Zonker I have two. In fact if the truth be known, I also have 2 kayaks and 2 tubes and at this point I still have my wife but the extra vessels are for my kids or friends) hang unloved from the rafters. At 60 I'm still crawling in and out of that cockpit but those open cockpit and sit on top fishing kayaks look awfully good. I know T.D. that you didn't enjoy your pontoon experience and I too am much happier in my tube. If I were to invest in another craft it would be one of the modern fishing kayaks. They're too heavy for what I have traditionally used my kayak for (Wilderness camping and fishing trips) but they would work well for floating and wading rivers as well as being a super efficient trolling machine in stillwaters.

Don't give up on those well seasoned "bods' just yet.
[signature]

[Bluegillman]

I have the canoe and use it often and all my life too. Tubing is great and I just kinda love "playing in the lake". You're being so low on the water and don't get blown around too easy than the canoe. Mine is the OldTown Camper which is just right for the way I fish. I was thinking of those kakays and how well it tracks and how it takes the lightest winds. How far can u paddle the kakay between the canoe's? I can't paddle in a striaght line on days with the winds. I know I can't get too far when tubing but I plan on where I wanted to fish and hike there. If I wanted to be in a spot which would take me a longer hiking to get there I would just take the canoe and paddle there, I just don't want to be picking up all those darn ticks! There is so many of them around that area, walk about 1/4 of a block you would see about ten on you! There are some lake that are less fished because of those ticks. Hey TD, Z and others if you were wearing the hip waders and walked around there would the ticks be able to hold on?
[signature]

[Bluegillman]

Looks more like Hobie sit on top kakay? It looks like the one I rode on two summers ago and has the peddles on it. Pretty neat and cool thing.
[signature]

[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]I am a firm believer in the efficiency of kayaks...both for propulsion and for fishing. We have a couple of dedicated yakkers over here in Utah and they do very well. Kayote (the worst yak wacko) takes a couple of trips a year to the San Diego area of California to dunk his yak in the salt. He would live and yak there full time if he could.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I have no doubt that I could adapt to using a kayak, but it still does away with my "hands free" fishing in my tube. It also has limitations on what you can dangle over the side without compromising speed and tracking when under power. [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]All systems have their positives and negatives. We gots to make our own choices for our own reasons.[/#0000ff]
[signature]

[smallmouth89]

Tube,

I agree with you on the "hands free" issue with the kayak. I can get one hand free by using a ping pong paddle to move slowly along. The small paddle is easily put down when you need to use both hands to retrieve. The strengths of the kayak are speed, wind resistance and slow trolling. There is absolutely nothing more efficient for casting and positioning than the modern float tube. I haven't done so yet but I'm thinking of towing my tube the next time I go kayak/camping and fishing. As a fishing machine the tube rules. Have you ever floated a river in your tube Tube? ("Tube tube" almost comes across like TubeN2.)
[signature]

[smallmouth89]

An addendum to my last post:

Speaking of "dangling things over the side............

I can't believe the saltwater sit on top kayak fisherman with their legs dangling in the water. Now that I think of it Tube you must have done some dangling while tubing the salt down in California. Do you use pepper spray on the sharks or what?
[signature]

[zonker]

If it contains things that can eat me I'm not fishing there. I don't mind donating blood to the mosquitos, ticks, and leeches but I draw the line at arms and legs.

z~
[signature]

[flygoddess]

I tell you, if I fished the salt like these guys, I would definitly carry every thing that is in the picture. Not sure what that thing is on the far right, but, I am assuming it is like my Anglers Edge (a weather pressure berometer best time to fish gauge).
Those guys get way far away from home on those waters, specially if a big fish takes them for a little cruise. You bet I would want all those devises.
[signature]

[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Yes, I have floated on moving water. In addition to fishing several short sections of rivers that were otherwise inaccessible to me, I have floated and fished almost the entire length of the Sacramento River in California. Of course, I broke it up into sections. Fishing one area at a time, I eventually covered just about everything from Redding to San Francisco.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]The float tube was just another floating device that got me from point A to point B. A boat, canoe, kayak or pontoon would have been much better in most cases. A lot of times I used the tube strictly to float down to a chosen hole, run or bar and then got out to cast.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I have fished salt water off both coasts, in the Sea of Cortez and the Gulf of Mexico. Unlike kayakers, I do not venture far from shore, fishing mostly the inshore reefs and kelp beds. I have never knowingly launched into areas known to have great white sharks present. And, I have never seen more than a few relatively harmless blue sharks and black tips. I have hooked quite a few of the harmless species like dogfish and leopards. Also some sting rays.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I have to admit that some of my trips were in waters where I COULD have encountered bull sharks or tiger sharks...both dangerous. But, fortunately, I never sustained any big circular bite marks either to my "dangling" appendages or to my craft. [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I have been bitten by a lot of the toothy fish I have caught though...and have sustained some nasty spine punctures...both to me and the tube.[/#0000ff]
[signature]

[DanL]

Heck, a little good ole fashion fear is just the spice to make a regular fishing trip into something special! Why do ya think that people jump out of perfectly good airplanes and off bridges with a rubber band tied to their butts? A shark fin popping up every now and then or the ever watching eyes of a big ole bull gator will do wonders for your ability to focus! It'll make every little ripple and bump on your legs special! After a few shark bumps and a couple of overly inquizitive gators you'll loke at sharing your tube with a little snake like a rather ho hum sort of experiance! Oh and also, when in shark or gator country, don't tie your fish to anything very substantial. If something wants the fish, YOU WANT THEM TO HAVE THEM!!! Getting dragged around by a stringer that you tied to your belt is not a good thing. That is why when wade fishing you tie to a belt LOOP! I doubt that having your tube pulled out to sea would be fun either.
[signature]